The Murder of Brad St. Clair
For this case, I watched an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn. It’s season 23 episode 13, titled ‘Alarm and Betrayal.’
Background
Bradley St. Clair was only 31-years-old at the time of his death. His family was very prominent and were well-known business people in Bakersfield, California.
Brad had taken over the family real estate company with his brother. Brad was also a married father of 2, with another baby on the way.
Brad was described as a people person and family man. Brad and his wife Elisia had planned on having as many kids as possible.
Brad St. Clair
Brad, with his wife Elisia, and two older children
The 911 Call
On August 7, 2000, just before 6pm, the Bakersfield police were contacted by a local alarm company. The alarm company told them that the alarm was coming from St. Clair Realty, at 3401 Wible Road.
A patrol officer was sent to do a welfare check. The officer was only there for a short time, and didn’t see anything unusual.
Brad’s mom, Arlana, decided to drive over to the building herself. She noticed Brad’s car was still in the parking lot. She didn’t have keys to his building, she knocked, but there was no answer.
Arlana walked to a different building, and was able to unlock the door. The alarm went off again, so she called the police.
The Crime Scene
When the police arrived, it wasn’t long until they found Brad’s body in the executive offices.
Brad was lying face down. His ankles, wrists, the area around his eyes, and mouth had been duct taped.
The police also knew immediately that Brad’s cause of death had been strangulation, as his neck tie had been pulled up over his neck, and behind his left ear. He also had injuries to the back of his head. The injuries were consistent with having been in a fight.
The police asked Arlana for a photo of Brad. She knew then that Brad was dead. Brad’s wife, Elisia, who had been 5 months pregnant, had also shown up at the scene. Elisia told the police that Brad had been planning on being home around 5:30pm that night, as they had dinner plans.
Brad’s Last Moments
The police also spoke to Brad’s secretary, a woman named Susan. Susan said she last saw Brad at his desk when she left at 5:20pm. She said nothing seemed unusual, and as far as she knew, Brad didn’t have any appointments left.
Brad’s final moments were brutal. He had been killed between 5:20pm, and just before 6pm, when the first alarm had gone off.
There wasn’t any money missing from the office, but Brad’s wallet, wedding ring and watch were all missing.
There was obvious signs of a struggle. The furniture in the office had been in disarray, there were random items on the floor and in the trash, and the blinds had been askew.
The police believed Brad had been ambushed. He had a fully loaded gun in his desk, and hadn’t had time to grab it to defend himself. It was also believed that more than one person had been involved, as Brad was a physically fit person, and would’ve fought back.
An Inside Job?
The police had many theories during the investigation. They wondered if Brad had been targeted, maybe by a disgruntled client, or if maybe it was a random robbery.
These theories didn’t lead anywhere, and when the police searched the crime scene again, they realized someone had been looking for something in the office.
Several ceiling tiles in different offices had been pushed aside. The killers had been most likely looking for money. A shoe print was found on the top of a desk. The forensics team collected fingerprints and palm prints from the duct tape that had been found on Brad. A drop of blood was also found on one of the door jams. It was transfer blood that was most likely from a small cut.
The St. Clair family was known for being very successful. The police listed several people that would have had knowledge of Brad being alone in the office. They narrowed it down to one person: Susan Clevenger.
The Tip
The police’s theory about Susan turned out to be spot on. Susan’s brother, Robert, contacted them, and said Susan had asked him to participate in a kidnap for hire plot.
Robert met with Detective Steve Ramsey, of the Bakersfield police. Robert told him that he said no, he didn't want to be involved in the plot. Susan had told him that they could get rich, and that she knew that they could get as much as $3 million.
The police believed Susan was involved, but that she had help. Susan had been in the last trimester of her pregnancy at the time. She was called into the police station for an interview.
At first, she denied it, but soon was confronted about Robert’s tip. Susan then said it had all been her boyfriend’s idea. Susan and her boyfriend, Keith Shell, had been struggling financially, and were about to have their baby.
Susan said that Keith had picked her up from the office that day around 4:45pm. She said they drove to his friend’s house, she dropped him off, and drove home. She said Keith arrived home several hours later, just after she had received the call about the alarm system at the business.
Susan said she asked Keith if he had killed Brad. He said no, and she said she didn’t want to push him any further about it.
The Evidence
Keith was also questioned, but he refused to say anything. The police didn’t need a confession, as they already had evidence that Keith was involved. Keith’s fingerprints were a match to the ones on the duct tape.
Keith Shell was arrested and charged with murder.
The police and DA continued to build their case against Susan. They discovered that in the hours before Brad’s death, Susan had called Brad’s brother, Frank, to make sure he was out of town.
There was also no sign of forced entry. Susan had let Keith inside the office, and they had planned to kidnap Brad, and put out a large ransom. However, their planned changed due to the alarm going off. They had ripped the alarm box off the wall. They also hadn’t planned on Brad fighting back, but somehow they were able to duct tape him, and strangle him with his neck tie.
Susan Clevenger was eventually arrested and charged with kidnapping and murder.
The Convictions
The St. Clair family was stunned after Susan was arrested. They liked Susan, and treated her like family. Elisia and Susan had bonded over their pregnancies. The St. Clair’s had also helped Susan with the apartment she had been living in.
In December 2001 and June 2002, Keith Shell and Susan Clevenger, were found guilty on charges of attempted kidnapping, conspiracy and murder. They were both sentenced to life in prison.
It’s believed that a third party, a male, was also involved in helping Keith and Susan. The blood on the door jam was from an unidentified male. The case is still open, and at the time the episode aired on ID, the St. Clair’s were offering a $75,000 reward for any information.
Susan Clevenger
Keith Shell
Other
Susan Clevenger was re-sentenced to life in prison due to a new legilsation. Under the SB 1437, her charges were reduced to kidnapping, a lighter felony. For this, she was sentenced to 8 years with time served.
However, she was re-sentenced to life for her charges of kidnapping for ransom with death resulting and conspiracy to commit kidnapping for ransom.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I don’t really have much to say, other than Susan and Keith are monsters. They are greedy and selfish people. PLUS, they were about to give birth to a baby. Maybe they should have thought a little harder before they decided to kidnap and murder someone, someone who was also a parent.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/bradley-st-clair-murder-where-are-susan-clevenger-and-keith-shell-now/
https://www.turnto23.com/news/crime/what-happened-to-brad-st-clair
